Is That a Data Center in the Fields?

When we think about endangered species, dwindling access to uncontaminated water, and the unquantifiable loss of community culture and character due to environmental changes, our thoughts typically carry us far away from home, to lands and peoples we’ve never seen before. In truth, these issues are not as distant as we might think. Prince William County’s Rural Crescent is threatened by an onslaught of  speculative development  proposals that stand to diminish the natural, historical and cultural qualities that give the Crescent its special character.

Land development is a reality of modern, industrial lifestyles, and, by definition, it comes with a litany of environmental impacts. But land development doesn’t have to be a universal threat. It is also an opportunity for us to come together as a community and thoughtfully choose where to site new development projects in order to minimize their impacts on our environment and our quality of life.

The recent  data center proposals  in the Rural Crescent are a prime example of the alternative: ill-chosen and unsensible development typically more of a detriment than a benefit to their localities.

Just over two decades ago, when Prince William County was experiencing a period of rapid urban development, the  county’s board of supervisors  recognized that there is something precious in the rural character of the region, and set out to protect that character by establishing an  Urban Growth Boundary . This boundary directs growth to the areas with existing infrastructure to support it, while keeping  urban sprawl  from spreading throughout the remaining rural land. 

Today this protected rural area is known as the Rural Crescent, and it brings a number of benefits to the county: preserving historic resources, offering a favorite destination for recreation and tourism, and providing key ecological services such as water quality protection.

 Data centers  are buildings or groups of buildings that house complex IT and computing infrastructure. We don’t think about it often, but all the data circulated by businesses and individuals on a daily basis needs to be stored and processed somewhere, and that ‘somewhere’ is in data centers. 

Most data centers take up vast amounts of land, ranging in size from an average of 100,000 sq. ft. to 3.5 million sq. ft. wide, and 35 feet or more in height. A single building complex can sprawl over 100 acres to as much as 2,000 acres.

Lots of data processing takes up lots of energy, so data centers also require 24/7 access to a large supply of electricity. Data centers can also use significant amounts of water for cooling. A  15-megawatt data center can use up to 360,000 gallons a day , for example. Although the technology for closed loop cooling systems has improved, most data centers in our region still pull significant amounts of water. As a result, it is practical to build data centers in proximity to the urban centers they serve, where electrical lines, water, and other resources needed to support them are already in place.

Prince William County has a plan for data centers that was developed through a community process which identified appropriate areas for promoting data center development in a way that minimized impacts on surrounding communities. The proposed developments disregard this thoughtful community-based planning.

A c omprehensive plan  is a document written by the County Planning Office in collaboration with the public to establish a vision for what the future growth of the community ought to look like, generally keeping the county’s economic, social, and environmental interests in mind.

Zoning laws support the comprehensive plan by establishing legal standards for the development and use of land. For example, zoning laws may designate a certain parcel of land for industrial use, whereas they would designate another parcel of land for natural space.

Prince William County has adopted a zoning overlay to accommodate data center development in areas with infrastructure to support it. Currently, around 2,400 acres of undeveloped land within the zoning overlay remain eligible for data center development in Prince William County. Despite this, developers are now petitioning the Board of Supervisors to make changes to the zoning overlay that will weaken the protection of the county’s rural areas, all so that they can build data centers in the Rural Crescent. This would be the biggest land use change in Prince William County in decades.

Data centers themselves are only one piece of the puzzle though. The other piece is the industrial development that can accompany them. When placed in rural areas, roads may need to be widened and public sewer lines extended. In addition, data centers require significant amounts of energy and water to function. Many of them require gray water from wastewater treatment plants, which is an entirely different infrastructure than required for public drinking water. Rural areas do not have gray water infrastructure, and often lack other infrastructure needed if data centers are to be built.

And what happens when new roads, public sewer, power lines or water infrastructure is built? New buildings are built along them to make the most use of that infrastructure. The types of use that generally make sense next to massive data centers tend to be industrial: warehousing, storage, energy production facilities, manufacturing and distribution. The resulting industrial sprawl would drastically alter the Rural Crescent and eliminate the rural portion of Prince William County, contrary to the vision outlined in the comprehensive plan for the county.

But apart from the obvious, what is the real impact of development on the protected areas of the Rural Crescent? Two recent proposals provide an illustrative example.

To locals and visitors alike, the native plants and wildlife of the Rural Crescent bring a sense of wonder and connection with nature. Many animals also have special value to recreational hunters and fishers. But more than that, each species performs a unique role in our ecosystem, supporting us in all sorts of invisible ways, from helping to grow the food on our tables to keeping our streams and air clean.

While all of the Rural Crescent's species deserve protection, the areas that are being targeted for development are home to at least  9 endangered or threatened species  of plants and animals, and Prince William Forest Park has been ranked the second most pristine forest among national parks in the eastern United States for its plant species.

In the Crescent, as elsewhere, many of these local species are threatened by  habitat fragmentation  and other environmental changes. Although there is increasing awareness and action to protect the Rural Crescent’s wildlife from these negative effects, the proposed data center developments stand to undo the progress.

Intense development associated with data center construction destroys and destabilizes natural plant and animal habitats by breaking up undeveloped land into ever-smaller disconnected patches. This significantly impedes the mobility that animals require to meet their basic needs, including eating, mating and raising young.

Furthermore, habitat fragmentation associated with rural development triggers  biodiversity loss —meaning fewer types of plants and animals are able to exist in their previous habitats—via a process called the  edge effect .

The edge effect occurs when undeveloped land is fragmented into smaller parcels by natural or manmade features. Certain plant and animal species have evolved to thrive in either the edge habitat (near the border of the undeveloped parcel) or the interior habitat (in the middle of the undeveloped parcel). When undeveloped land is fragmented by development the ratio of edge to interior habitat increases. This puts strain on the species that depend on interior habitat for survival, and can often lead to a cascade effect of biodiversity loss throughout both edge and interior habitats.

Developing rural land also increases the potential for  invasive species  to take hold and crowd out the charismatic native plants and animals that define the Rural Crescent and provide a healthy environment for Prince William County residents.

 Light pollution  and  noise pollution  associated with development can severely disrupt plant and animal behavior, including how they find food, reproduce and avoid predators. Data centers often have intense security lighting and noise associated with generators and cooling equipment. Data centers and other industrial sprawl in the Rural Crescent would negatively impact both local and migrating species, such as birds.

The county’s comprehensive plan and current data center zoning overlay are designed to better protect the Rural Crescent’s plants and wildlife, by preventing the sort of habitat disruption that would occur if these rural areas are developed.

Over 1 million people in Northern Virginia drink water from the Occoquan Reservoir, which is fed by several streams and wetlands within the Rural Crescent. 

In areas with less development, surface water bodies are filled directly with rain and meltwater, while rain that falls on dry land is able to absorb—or infiltrate—into the soil and replenish subsurface aquifers.

 Aquifer recharge  is critical to maintaining Prince William County's groundwater supply. If rainwater and meltwater aren't able to refill aquifers, wells must be dug increasingly deeper in order to access water for everyday use, and this pattern is not sustainable in the long term.

When land is developed, the surface of the ground is graded, tamped down, and covered with an impermeable surface, such as asphalt or concrete. When rainwater hits these hard surfaces it cannot absorb into the ground as it naturally would, so it becomes  runoff , flowing along and collecting oils, trash and sediments as it makes its way to the nearest surface water body. This results in water contamination in all nearby water sources such as lakes, rivers and streams.

Beyond pollution, increased runoff creates a high flood risk, as major storm events rain down water that hits impervious surfaces and is channeled into drainage systems that lead to our streams. Rather than being absorbed into the ground and slowly replenishing groundwater it rushes off in one high peak flood event that overflows that stream banks and threatens our roads, homes and businesses.

Keeping the Rural Crescent's aquifers recharged, and its surface waters clean and safe to drink is critical to maintaining healthy communities and flourishing environments in Northern Virginia. The impervious surfaces that would be constructed for data center development in the Rural Crescent would jeopardize local groundwater supply, increase flood risk and introduce a range of harmful pollutants to waterways that feed the Northern Virginia Occoquan Reservoir drinking water supply.

The historical sites, natural beauty and recreational opportunities in the Rural Crescent are only part of what makes it so invaluable to Prince William County. The Crescent’s bountiful farms also offer ample opportunities for  agri-tourism  in the form of farmer’s markets, wineries, breweries and farm experiences for the whole family. 

Many of the goods produced on Rural Crescent farms even make it to farmer’s markets in Prince William’s urban area and provide citizens with healthy, farm-fresh local food choices. This connection between urban and rural communities not only allows city dwellers to come out and enjoy the experiences of the quiet, pastoral atmosphere, it also supports local farmers and businesses in the Crescent, thus enlivening the county for all to enjoy together.

As with the Rural Crescent’s other assets, agri-tourism will take a huge hit if zoning changes are made to allow for industrial sprawl like data centers in the rural landscape. The massive buildings, noise and lighting associated with data center development could easily destroy the tourism economy of the Crescent and convert it to an industrial area.

With so many officials and landowners looking to develop the Rural Crescent, it's understandable to wonder if the majority of people of Prince William County really care about keeping the Rural Crescent rural.

The answer is yes, yes they do.

From February 22, 2021 to April 19, 2021, the Prince William County Planning Office conducted polls and community engagement meetings to determine local citizens' priorities for the future of the county. The  results  overwhelmingly showed that most people in Prince William County value preservation of rural lands, forests, parks, open space, and recreation, history, and environment.

The Prince William County Planning Office will take cues from these common values to shape their  "Pathway to 2040: Comprehensive Plan Update."  The new comprehensive plan will play an important role in deciding the future of Prince William County. Based on this survey, the public envisions this future as one that preserves the Rural Crescent and all its natural, historical and cultural characteristics.

If the county Board of Supervisors and Planning Office truly claim to uphold this public vision, then they should oppose the development of data centers in the Rural Crescent.

It is clear that data centers would have numerous negative effects on the Rural Crescent, so where can developers build data centers where these negative effects are lessened?

By now, you may have guessed the answer: it lies with the existing comprehensive plan and zoning overlay. Prince William County already has about 8,700 acres identified in their  Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay  that was created in 2016 to promote data center development in areas where the impact on surrounding uses would be minimal.

By comparison, Loudoun County—known as the "Internet capital of the world" because an estimated 70% of the world's internet traffic is managed by numerous data centers within its boundaries—has about 2,036 acres currently occupied by data centers. Most of these data centers have been contained in Ashburn’s Data Center Alley. Loudoun County does not allow any data center development in the  Rural Policy Area  west of Leesburg.

Prince William County’s Department of Economic Development studied the parcels in the Overlay and  shared a memo  in May 2021 which details their results. Those results indicated there are approximately 2,493 acres of vacant land without significant constraints:

• 1,120 acres of vacant land owned by data center developers
• 634 acres that are site ready 
• 739 acres that require assemblage

In addition, the 4,121 acres of land deemed not available for sale or occupied could potentially be redeveloped or placed on the market. We believe that Prince William County has more than enough land available to bring the best of what data centers have to offer to its economy.

Importantly, the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay was developed through a community process that focused on selecting areas where existing infrastructure could adequately meet the needs of data centers and the impacts on nearby communities could be minimized. Not only does siting data centers in existing industrial areas reduce the risk of environmental degradation, but it also preserves the irreplaceable pastoral character that makes the Rural Crescent so welcoming to locals and visitors. This strengthens the rural economy in the short and long term.

Rural businesses are not the only ones that benefit economically from siting data centers in the appropriately zoned areas. The county as a whole benefits from discouraging sprawl and encouraging investment into core economic development areas. By limiting new data center development to vacant land or old industrial/commercial sites, the county forces infill and redevelopment which minimizes infrastructure maintenance costs and land waste, and creates economic development hubs (like the Data Center Alley in Loudoun) that attract further investment and development.

Ashley Studholme of the Prince William Conservation Alliance spoke more broadly about how sprawl in rural areas impacts on urban residents:

"The entire county's residents came together to form the Rural Crescent because they saw that there was a huge issue with suburban sprawl. And suburban sprawl is very expensive, so in 1998 when the Rural Crescent was being formed, a fiscal study was done and they determined it just made fiscal sense (to establish the Rural Crescent Urban Growth Boundary), because it gives the county the opportunity to target where development will occur."

"Rather than invest county funds in expanding county services, you can bring that investment back into the development area. It's important for folks who live in (developed) places that may be in need of an upgrade - we can't get that upgrade if we're focusing development in rural areas. If we're going to focus on developing the rural areas, the things in the development areas are going to fall by the wayside."

So, if Prince William already has so much appropriately sited land available for data centers, why do developers want to change the zoning overlay to build in the Rural Crescent?

Again, you’ve probably guessed the answer: rural land is cheaper to buy. A developer may buy a parcel of rural land at a much lower price than an equal-sized parcel in an industrial/urban area, then they can hold the land for a time and sell or lease it to a data center company to turn a quick profit. 

The proposed changes to the Prince William County data center overlay district are unnecessary, impractical and profit-driven—but it will be speculative developers who are raking in those profits, while the Prince William community and the environment pay the heavy prices. 

New development may seem cheap at first, but at what cost to our rural communities for the long term? What are we willing to lose forever?

The comprehensive plan and zoning that currently protect the Rural Crescent were only made possible through the extensive input and engagement from the Prince William community. Now we have the opportunity to rally together again and let our officials know that we aren’t willing to trade away the Rural Crescent. 

This is a story about identity. What keeps Prince Willam County flourishing and beloved is its community of farmers, outdoor recreators, and history buffs, its innovators and businesspeople, and parents who want to ensure their children have clean water to drink and natural spaces to enjoy. 

The first thing to do is reach out to the  Prince William County Board of Supervisors  and ask them to keep data centers out of the Rural Crescent and to better incentivize data center construction within the existing overlay. You can provide specific comment on the PW Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment ( here ) and the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District ( here ).

It may not seem like much, but a simple letter, email or phone call can make a big difference.

You may also consider expressing your concerns beyond the county level. Ashley Studholme, of Prince William Conservation Alliance, makes a strong point, "The locations of some of these data centers are right next to national parks. These national parks are assets that Prince William County is entrusted to protect as good neighbors. That seems to me to be something your state or federal representative might want to know about too."

You can also take part in the  Pathway to 2040: Comprehensive Plan Update  public input process to encourage officials to continue protecting the Rural Crescent!

To keep updated on new developments and opportunities to engage with this issue, subscribe to  Prince William Conservation Alliance's newsletter  and  Piedmont Environmental Council's email alerts . More information can be found on the  Grow Smart Prince William website .

Lastly, every voice counts, so please share this StoryMap with others, so that they can learn about the threats to Prince William County, and potentially join in the efforts to protect the Rural Crescent.

•  PW Digital Gateway CPA proposal 
•  Data Center Opportunity Overlay District 
•  Pathway to 2040: Comprehensive Plan Update 
•  Prince William County's Comprehensive Plan 

•  What is Prince William County's Rural Crescent ?
•  A coalition of local, regional, and national organizations join together to protect resources in the Rural Crescent 
•  Prince William County’s most historic and natural treasures must be protected from development 
•  Battlefield superintendent calls data center plan the 'single greatest threat to the park' in decades 
•  State forestry officials raise concerns about data centers near Conway forest, Manassas battlefield 
•  Interview with Brentsville District Supervisor on protecting Rural Crescent 

•  Prince William County Agri-Tourism 
•  Visit the Bull Run Mountains 
•  Visit Manassas National Battlefield Park 
•  Virtual visit to Manassas Battlefield Park 
•  Visit Prince William Forest National Park